


Family

by MasterOfThePen



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Oban Star-Racers
Genre: Community: dramadramaduck, Crossover, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 16:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterOfThePen/pseuds/MasterOfThePen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for the series end of Oban Star-Racers.</p>
<p>The Tenth Doctor contemplates the myriad relationships that humans (and those that aren't exactly human, in the strictest sense of the word) form with one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the LiveJournal RP Community, DramaDramaDuck Kink Meme 2008. Prompt: Ten/Jordan, Family → G - PG.

The Tenth Doctor had been to many worlds in his travels; worlds that ordinary mortals could only begin to dream of, and many that lay outside the scope of the human imagination. But this world, this _living planet_ , was something that was new, even to him. Oh, sure, he'd had experience with unusual lifeforms (being possessed by the soul of a vengeful sun, for instance) but it wasn't quite like... this. Oban was _alive_ and possessed a rather _human_ consciousness. She stood at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, the supporting pillar, the progenitor of all life.

And here he was, having tea with her... consort? Husband? The nature of the relationship between Oban and Jordan was rather nebulous, but really, was there any need to put a label on their love? He'd seen the way they cared for one another (oh, Oban had been absolutely _distraught_ when Jordan had been trapped in that hellish dimension, in need of rescue) and that was all that mattered. 

The human heart is truly an amazing thing. So full of love and faith and hope. Humans can fall in love with anyone or anything. He'd seen it with his own eyes. Even when that emotion caused them great suffering, still they continued to reach out to one another, hoping that their feelings would be returned.

“Mmm, this tea is really quite good,” The Doctor said. It tasted faintly of sweet grass with a bit of mint thrown in. “What do you call it again?”

“Clover Leaf Tea,” Jordan said, glancing upward. “Made from the seedlings of these very trees.”

The Doctor craned his neck to stare upward. The sun shone through the foliage of the colossal trees which resembled a cross between a three-leaved clover and a lily pad. Blue gelatinous material clung to the trunk and roots in sticky blobs. Jordan had situated a picnic blanket on one of the exposed roots that connected the huge bulb to the moist earth below. A tea tray sat between them, laden with various sweet cakes and pastries, and the other accouterments of a proper tea party.

“Amazing, really,” The Doctor said. He looked down at the ground below (had to have been at least a fifty foot drop) to see a green carpet of the tiny saplings bobbing lazily in a small pond. “To think that something so small and fragile can grow into something so majestic.”

“Yeah,” Jordan said, taking a sip of his tea. “Nature is a wonderful thing. I've grown up around plants and animals my entire life. I could never imagine living in a place where there were no trees, no open fields, where the sky is any color but blue.”

Ten grinned. “She's a beaut, your Oban. You've been taking very good care of her. She's quite lucky to have you as Avatar.”

“Aw, geez, you're making me blush.” Jordan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “I mean, how could I _not_ want to take care of her? She's my partner for the next ten thousand years. We share this... this _bond_. When she's sad, I'm sad. When I'm happy, she's happy. We lend each other strength and support.”

“So, she's like your _companion?_ ”

“I guess you could say that. She's never far from my thoughts.”

“Hmm.” Ten grabbed a nearby cake, the kind with edible ball bearings, and bit into it. “Must be nice. At least you're never lonely.”

“Yeah, especially now that I have Eva by my side.” Jordan smiled and stared at the gold band on his left hand, winking in the afternoon light. A clump of the blue goo nearby shivered slightly in the breeze and made a soft mewling sound.

“Can't say my kind of lifestyle would be conducive to a happy marriage,” Ten said, a bit wistfully. “Too much excitement. Not enough stability for most people.”

“But you have Martha, right?” Jordan said. “I mean, she's your companion. Did you ever think about maybe... you and her could...?”

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. This really wasn't a conversation topic he was comfortable discussing. His relationship with Martha was, to put it lightly, complicated.

Fortunately, The Doctor was spared any undue awkwardness when the gelatinous substance clinging to the root next to him said, “Chu!”

“What was that?” Ten asked, bewildered (though really, he almost _always_ looked bewildered, what with those wide eyes and unruly shock of brown hair).

Jordan and Ten turned their attention to the blob of blue goo, which shivered violently as several small eyes blinked open and the entire mass began to separate into distinct shapes. Long, thin appendages resolved themselves from the mass. They began to chirp and coo to one another, making that strange “chu” sound.

One of the blue blobs, which had suddenly grown a face, along with a pair of long ears and a round tail, floated toward Ten and settled on his shoulder.

“Chu!” it said.

“Well, hallo there,” Ten said. He poked at it with one finger. “And what manner of wee beastie might you be?” The creature squeaked in contentment, seemingly unperturbed by being poked in what was probably its belly.

“Oh! Those are Tchou-Tchous,” Jordan said, grinning. “This is their home. They spend most of their time sleeping and digesting whatever bits of vegetation they've eaten. Guess they're getting hungry again.”

The blue amorphous blobs that Jordan had called “Tchou-Tchous” looked like a cross between a jelly-fish and a rabbit, although they bore only the faintest resemblance to an Earth rabbit. Two eyes and a mouth were situated in the center of its body, with a pair of long ears on top of its head, which it flapped about when it floated through the air.

“Fascinating. Absolutely _fascinating,_ ” Ten said. He held a biscuit out to the Tchou-Tchou seated on his shoulder and the creature leaned forward and engulfed the offered biscuit in one bite. The Doctor stared in awe. He could clearly see the cookie floating about inside the Tchou-Tchou's body. “My, you're a hungry little fellow, aren't you?”

Jordan laughed as the Tchou-Tchous began to awaken all around them and take flight. They floated lazily through the air, gulping down pollen and other bits of vegetable matter that drifted down from the canopy. They cooed to one another, and the one on Ten's shoulder soon took flight and joined its companions.

“Tchou-Tchous always live in huge family networks,” Jordan said. “A lone Tchou-Tchou can't survive on its own. They need the support of their flock.”

The young Avatar stared into his cup of tea. He could clearly see his reflection: the golden eyes which marked him as something not quite human.

“Ah! So they're social creatures, are they?” Ten noticed Jordan's rather pensive expression. “What's wrong?”

“It's...” he hesitated, “I'm so used to living in a world where I'm constantly surrounded by people. Friends and relatives. Humans, like me. But I'm not like them anymore. I've... changed. I'm not an ordinary human. I'm the Avatar. And I'll have to watch as all my loved ones slowly wither away and die while I continue to live on...”

Jordan clutched his teacup in both hands, his eyes staring intently at his reflection. Ten set his own cup back on the tray and cracked a smile, even though Jordan wasn't looking at him.

“Well, you know, everyone dies, _eventually_. It's the natural order of things. Nothing lives forever, not even Time Lords. I'll die one day, though hopefully not too soon!”

Jordan raised his head and looked at Ten. “How long do Time Lords live, anyway?”

“That's a... rather odd question.” The Doctor scratched his head in thought. “Well, I'm on my tenth incarnation, and I've got two more regenerations left, so... it's hard to say.”

“How old are you, anyway?”

“Nine hundred years, give or take a few.”

“So,” Jordan said, lowering his eyes. “That means I'll probably end up outliving you, too.”

“Well, I wouldn't say _that_.”

Jordan set his cup down and stared at the Tchou-Tchous floating through the air. “I was kind of hoping that I might not outlive _all_ my friends.”

“You have Eva, don't you?”

“I do. And I'm thankful to Oban for lending me the power to extend her lifespan. But... it's going to be hard, for both of us. Especially Eva.”

Ten leaned close to Jordan and wrapped a companionable arm around his shoulder. Jordan looked up, blinking back tears.

“Cheer up, now,” The Doctor said with a silly grin. “Take it from me. Each of my incarnations has chosen a different companion during their lives. I've met literally _thousands_ of people throughout my travels, in different worlds, in different time periods. And I've never forgotten a one of them.” Ten frowned slightly. “Well, mostly. But the point is, it's not a matter of _how much_ time you spend with a person, what matters is _what you do_ with the time you've been given. Some of my most fondest friendships were established over the course of a few days, and yet I treasure each and every one, no matter how brief.”

Jordan stared up at his friend and gave a small smile. The tears shone in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Still, if you could have a long-lasting friendship that was also deep and meaningful, you'd want that, right?”

“Well, of course! I mean, who wouldn't?” The Doctor gave Jordan's shoulder an extra squeeze. “And I promise you one thing: hang around me, and I guarantee there will never be a dull moment in your life.”

Now the tears _did_ spill over Jordan's cheeks. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Ten's middle, burying his face in the Time Lord's chest. Ten simply smiled and embraced Jordan. He was a good kid, that one. He shouldered a heavy responsibility, but The Doctor had faith that Jordan would be able to see it through to the very end. After all, humans were marvelous like that. Always facing challenges and growing and evolving. And Jordan had certainly matured quite a lot since they had first met.

Jordan pulled back and smiled. “I don't mind a little excitement now and then.”

The Doctor, glad to see Jordan in better spirits, ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

“Then I can see that this will be the start of a _beautiful_ friendship.”


End file.
